All posts by h79snht.top

Through the course of each season a wealth of players are linked with big money transfers, and this year has been no different. Names have been mentioned and dismissed on an almost weekly basis, yet one keeps on recurring, Eden Hazard. But why is the Belgian so special? And will he make a summer move to the Premier League?

The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and the Manchester duo have all been linked with the Lille star at some stage this campaign, with a view to a summer move, yet there has been no official approach as of yet for the youngster. He was rumoured to be close to completing a move to Spurs during the winter window, however a deal could not be struck with his club, who are believed to be holding out for a large fee in the summer, allowing them to replace the jewel in their crown.

Having been compared by some to Lionel Messi, it’s understandable that the 21-year-old is widely regarded as the man to sign this summer, with clubs all across Europe sending admiring glances toward the North of France. With a low centre of gravity and dazzling feet, the attacking midfielder is seen as the ideal acquisition for the English ‘big boys’ all of whom are looking to add creativity and talent to their ranks.

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Manchester United are the latest club to have been strongly linked, with Sir Alex Ferguson anxious to add some flair to his, sometimes, pedestrian midfield. After missing out on Wesley Sneijder last summer the Scot is believed to be stepping up his persuit of reinforcements, seeing Hazard as the ideal man to link the midfield and strikeline. Meanwhile their city rivals are also believed to be in the hunt, with their policy of signing the cream of world talent no matter the cost, or indeed need, of the player.

Tottenham and Arsenal are perhaps the more intriguing of perspective destinations, with both sides desperately needing such a player. Spurs will be keen to add to their ranks in a bid to establish Champions League status, and a marquee summer buy such as Hazard will show a real intent to achieve this, while displaying the sort of ambition which may be enough to keep hold of certain squad members. Arsenal are rumoured to be interested for similar reasons, as they look to keep hold of Robin van Persie, who may be convinced to stay put if the club show intent to push on and challenge for silverware on a regular basis.

Chelsea and Liverpool present outside challenges, with both looking increasingly likely to miss out on a place at Europe’s top table next term. Both have plenty of cash to splash, and as a result could afford to pay over the odds to keep Hazard away from their rivals. Chelsea’s need for fresh talent is all too clear, yet without a permanent manager in place a sense of instability could be an issue. King Kenny’s Liverpool will be optimistic of their chances, having the trump card of Joe Cole currently on loan with the French side, yet with the Merseysider’s project looking to be a long term one, instant success for Hazard would be tough to achieve with the Reds.

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It’s looking more and more likely that Hazard will depart Lille this summer, with the French side no longer able to match the youngster’s increasing ambition. There will plenty of options for the playmaker come the next window, as many of Europe’s elite clubs scramble for one of the most prized signatures in world football. Expect to see the Belgian wizard complete a big money move later this year.

Where do you think Hazard will go? have your say, or follow @Alex_Hams on Twitter where I will be praying he’ll choose Merseyside for his new home

Barcelona and Bayern Munich have progressed to the Champions League semi-finals, after winning their quarter-final second legs on Tuesday night.

The defending champions had drawn 0-0 with AC Milan at the San Siro in the first fixture, but triumphed 3-1 at the Camp Nou in the reverse fixture.

Two Lionel Messi penalties either side of an Antonio Nocerino strike gave the Catalans a 2-1 lead at the break, before Andres Iniesta sealed victory early in the second half.

Pep Guardiola has admitted that he is glad his side have progressed, but does not feel that the Spaniards are favourites for the tournament.

“I don’t think we are the favourites, Bayern Munich are there, Real Madrid are there,” he told Sky Sports.

“We have won two Champions Leagues in the last three years and we have reached the semi-finals five times in a row, so we have been very successful for this club.

“The most difficult thing in sport is to be consistent. You can win once or twice, but over many years to win the title is very tough.

“These players are awesome because they have shown the world the way they have to compete. We are so glad to be there and I am so happy to be their coach,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, a first-half Ivica Olic double gave Bayern a 2-0 win over Marseille at the Allianz Arena, making it 4-0 on aggregate.

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Barcelona will face the winners of the Chelsea and Benfica tie, whilst Bayern will play Real Madrid or APOEL.

By Gareth McKnight

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Lille managing director Frederic Paquet has stated that four teams are in the running to land star winger Eden Hazard this summer.

The Belgium international has been a standout performer for the Ligue 1 side over the last 24 months, but has made it clear that he wants to move on to a bigger club.

With both Manchester clubs known admirers of the playmaker and Chelsea thought to have entered the race for the attacking midfielder also, it is set to be a scramble for his signature once the transfer window reopens.

“I am not sure he knows himself where he will go, so for the moment, we don’t know,” Paquet told Sky Sports.

“From my knowledge he has four teams interested in buying him.

“It is not up to us to tell to him where to go.

“We have a very strong relationship with the player, we will work together and are waiting for him to make a choice between these four teams,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Aston Villa have confirmed that they have parted company with Alex McLeish after a poor season.

The Scottish coach took over at the Midlands club last summer, but his appointment was treated with reluctance from the Villa fans due to his links with local rivals Birmingham City.

McLeish failed to win over the club’s fans, and only seven Premier League victories this term saw Villa in a relegation scrap come the end of the season.

In the end up the Villa Park outfit avoided the dropzone by two points, but McLeish has paid the price for a slow campaign.

“We need to be clear and candid with ourselves and with supporters about what we have lacked in recent years,” chairman Randy Lerner told the club’s official website.

“Compelling play and results that instil a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent.

“The most immediate action that we can take is to look carefully at our options in terms of bringing in a new manager who sees the club’s potential and embraces our collective expectations,” he stated.

Chief executive Paul Faulkner is eyeing a quick appointment of a replacement to give the new man a chance to prepare for next term.

“We’d like to thank Alex for his hard work and efforts throughout this tough season.

“We are mindful of the club’s need to prepare thoroughly for the new campaign and for the new manager to be able to begin working with the board so that he is quickly immersed in these preparations and also in the long-term objectives of the club.

“Our focus now will be driven by these imperatives and we will update when appropriate,” he concluded.

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Early frontrunners for the post are Wigan’s Roberto Martinez and Norwich’s Paul Lambert.

By Gareth McKnight

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Once the football season finally ends after a gruelling nine months, silly season begins in earnest, or the rumour mill as it is more commonly known.

Players that have been released by their clubs for one reason or another are looking frantically for a new club to call home, whilst trying to avoid the ignominy of dropping too far down the divisions in the process.

Players from newly relegated clubs are the ones that are more likely to suffer from this affliction; suddenly their status as a Premier League player has come to an abrupt end and, instead of testing their mettle against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, they are now facing the prospect of trips to Barnsley and Peterborough.

This is when, more often than not, they will give their agent a call and urge them to find them a new club (hopefully back in the Premier League) whilst all the while distancing themselves publicly from their part in their parent clubs relegation.

Of course, clubs who have had the satisfaction of gaining promotion to English footballs top table are the ones who are most likely to require a retooling of their squad, in order to stand any chance of avoiding an immediate return to the Football League Championship. This, in turn, leads to a frenzy of speculation as the rumour mill goes into overdrive, fuelled by a succession of desperate footballers agents looking to earn another huge payday by fixing their client up with a club who are looking for some Premier League experienced players.

Oh and lets not forget those players who are available on a free transfer, but most clubs should be aware of the old adage that you do not get something for nothing. Players who are obtainable for gratis have usually been released for one of the following four reasons: A) They are looking for more money although, unfortunately, the remuneration they seek usually matches their over inflated ego rather than their actual playing attributes. B) They have injury concerns and their parent club have released them in order to save on wages for a player who spends more time in the treatment room than on the pitch. C) They have been released because they are “getting on a bit” in football terms and, again, their wages are not worth the actual amount of time they spend on the pitch. Usually in tandem with category b. D) They are just not good enough. Any players in these four categories should be avoided if a club wants to stand a chance of prolonging their stay in the top-flight.

For Southampton Football Club, we are, of course, looking for players that can not only keep us away from the relegation zone, but also help us kick-on and gain a foothold in the league for years to come. We have so far been linked with players from most of the above categories; the most high-profile of which would be Manchester United’s ex-England international striker Michael Owen who has been released on a free transfer. As good as he was earlier in his career I do not consider him to be a worthy signing for us as he can now probably be categorised in A, B and C in the above list.

The kind of players that we should be looking at are ones that are obviously going to give us at least an outside chance of survival, and the strongest rumour of the close season so far is of our reported £6-7 million bid for Burnley striker, Jay Rodriguez. A player who we had hoped to sign during the previous January transfer window, where a Burnley side that were still hopeful of landing a playoff spot rejected our bids.

Other strong rumours include a cash plus player deal for Blackpool’s young prospect and son of England international Paul Ince, Thomas Ince – £2 million plus Saints midfielder Jason Puncheon has reportedly been offered as an exchange. Celtic striker Gary Hooper’s name is still being bandied about (he was another player who we tried to sign in January). He may now find our Premier League status too tempting to turn down this time.

The silliest rumours so far this close season include absolute gems, such as Nigel Adkins being fired and replaced by Roberto Di Matteo should the Champions League winning boss not be given the job permanently by Chelsea this summer. Although this was trumped just days ago by a post on the Saintsweb forum that stated that Rickie Lambert was on his way to Norwich City, who had apparently offered him £70k a week in wages, which is laughable for a club the size of Norwich.

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Other rumours include re-signing striker Kenwyne Jones from Stoke City; personally this is one player who I would not want to see anywhere near our club again. Especially after he essentially went on strike and refused to play for us a few seasons back, when he thought that being at a Championship club was a bit beneath him and he wanted to join a Premier League club. Funny that, despite the odd glimpses of proficiency, he has not exactly set the Premier League alight with his goal scoring talents, and now Stoke are looking to get his overinflated wages off their bill.

Whatever happens in the transfer market over the next two or three months, there will be plenty of rumours that are going to be wider of the mark than a shot by Emile Heskey. Oh and I’m glad that he hasn’t been linked to us so far, and lets hope it stays that way.

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Big-spending French side Paris Saint-Germain are ready to enter the race to sign Arsenal captain Robin van Persie, according to Mirror Football.

The capital-city side are owned by the Qatari Investment Authority, and as such have vast wealth to attract players, with the likes of Javier Pastore and Ezeqiuel Lavezzi joining Carlo Ancelotti’s men since the takeover.

With the Netherlands international with only one year left on his contract at the Emirates Stadium and stalling on a new deal, a raft of leading European clubs are monitoring the situation and hopeful of attracting Van Persie away from north London.

With Barcelona now looking elsewhere, Manchester City having to sell existing fringe players before they can buy and the Dutch marksman not interested in a move to Juventus, PSG are thought to be optimistic in their attempts to sign the player.

The 2011-12 Ligue 1 runners-up will offer £30 million for Van Persie in a bid to tempt Arsenal to sell, with Arsene Wenger surely keener to offload his skipper to a foreign team rather than Premier League rivals.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Newcastle target Aly Cissokho is closing in on a move to Italy, according to talksport.

The Lyon left back has caught the interest of Inter Milan and Napoli and the 24-year old’s agent Fabrizio Ferrari believes that a move to Serie A is likely.

“Lyon are still awaiting a suitable offer, but we are confident that the boy can get to Italy, but currently there is no relevant news”.

Cissokho, who is expected to leave Lyon this summer after 4 seasons with the French club came close to joing AC Milan in 2009, until concern from the Rossoneri medical staff that the Frenchman could have back problems. Milan recognised issues with the defenders teeth, a sign linked to problems with the spine, so the deal was subsequently called off.

Newcastle will be bitterly disappointed to hear the news of Cissokho favouring Italy. Alan Pardew is desparate to strengthen his back four after his sides unexpectedly impressive campaign, leading to Europa League qualification. With current left back Davide Santon preferring to play on the right, a natural left back is considered a necessity at St. James’ Park. Cissokho would have seemed the ideal candidate. With age on his side and an international cap to his name, the Frenchman was sure to impress in the Premier League. However, it now looks like Serie A will be his destination.

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There was a time when I supported Daniel Levy’s stance in this extremely tiresome Luka Modric saga. But that was way back there, well past the line of logic and reason. And while I admire the Tottenham chairman for standing up against the bigger clubs, it’s starting to look like a mistake.

I’m not siding with the notion that Levy is trying to make a name for himself and come out of this with a bigger reputation in European football; whoever it was who thought that idea up is really wide of the mark. But this protracted transfer mess is doing Tottenham no favours.

Daniel Levy is evidently one of the stronger chairmen in English football, persistent and determined to get the transfer figure he initially set out to receive. There’s a lot to admire in the way he tells the bigger clubs like Real Madrid or Manchester United to pay up or move on, with very little pressure from his own court with regards to the running down of player contracts. However, I do believe that Levy opting to drag this particular Modric saga on towards the end of the transfer window has been one of his mistakes.

The club have done some business this summer, and you can’t really fault either of their three signings so far. However, the Tottenham squad really did look thin on the weekend against Newcastle, and you’ve got to wonder where the Modric story ends and where Tottenham really begin to plan for the season ahead.

At this stage, the depth at Spurs seems to give them little in the way of landing a top four spot. The club have two recognised strikers, are apparently looking to offload Michael Dawson, and the chairman continues to be indecisive over transfer which will genuinely help the club. If Hugo Lloris is a player capable of taking Spurs to the next level, then get the deal done and move on.

Last year it was reported that Spurs could have received around £40 million for Modric had they sold him to Chelsea. Fair enough, though, Levy wasn’t about to be bullied by a clearly stronger club. But now, with various reports emerging that Real Madrid have backed away from the deal and then decided to enter back into negotiations, it looks like Tottenham may only get around £25million for the midfielder.

Again, I understand why Levy didn’t sell last year, but with the fee dropping from £40 million all the way down to something potentially well below £30 million via a proposed swap offer of Nuri Sahin, it looks like nothing but negligence from a club who need as much from this transfer as they can get. There is no question of the player perhaps staying, as Modric has continued to stress his intentions to leave White Hart Lane.

Tottenham’s revenue streams are not at the heights of other clubs in the league, and transfers such as this are an excellent way of helping the club move forward. I’m not totally sold on the idea that Spurs are a selling club, but when an opportunity like £40 million comes along, you take it.

Levy’s strong approach is something that a lot of managers and chairmen can learn from. However, he does need to find ways to resolve transfer matters well before the end of the summer window.

The Tottenham chairman has realised that there could be potential to land upwards of £40 million for Modric again this summer and is determined to get it. We saw his incredible composure in the square off with Manchester United over the Dimitar Berbatov deal and he eventually landed the £30 million he was after.

However, like Modric in this case, how much did Levy sacrifice by going all the way to the wire over the Berbatov deal? United wanted to remain firm on a figure around £20 million but had their hand forced by Manchester City, who made themselves known very late on. And despite the final fee Spurs received, they went into that season with only Darren Bent and Roman Pavlyuchenko as the strikers, with Fraizer Campbell on loan from United.

With Luka Modric, how likely is it that he will get £40 million? Moreover, is it worth the extra few million to leave the squad so short with only a few days left of the window?

Many fans will suggest that the club need a huge fee in order to adequately replace Modric, but I see that as well wide of the mark. A respectable fee can be spent on a like-for-like replacement in midfield with plenty of cash left over for the rest of the squad.

Santi Cazorla cost Arsenal around £15 million and is better than Modric. Mesut Ozil left Werder Bremen for Real Madrid for a similar fee, as did Miralem Pjanic when he left Lyon for Roma, and Joao Moutinho when he swapped Sporting for Porto. The point is, clubs like Tottenham don’t have to go after the Mario Gotzes or other equally priced midfielders if they want to replace or better Modric’s production. But Levy’s decision to draw out this saga has really weakened Tottenham’s position.

With just a week left of the transfer window and Spurs needing to get Modric off the books in order to buy, who’s to say we won’t see a similar rush around the isles that we saw from Arsenal on deadline day last year?

If, by the last few days of the window, Spurs do have a good amount of cash to strengthen their squad, which club will want to put themselves in the same position by giving up their best players and quickly shopping around for a replacement?

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Levy had a number of chances to pull the trigger on a deal that would have brought him around £30 million, but who is he kidding by trying to get £40 million for a player who isn’t in huge demand in the market? Real Madrid want Modric but don’t really need him, while Chelsea are also flirting around the idea of another move for Modric but are also well stocked in that area of the field.

Levy’s strong stance in this particular matter has become difficult for the club, and the idea that Real Madrid have decided to pull out of the deal only adds insult to potential injury. The player doesn’t want Spurs and Spurs really don’t need the player. The best that Levy could have done was get rid early when the price was high and use a good deal of knowledge of the market to replace and strengthen.

Newcastle didn’t need £20 million to land Yohan Cabaye, yet I’m sure the Frenchman would be more than welcome at White Hart Lane.

Despite the addition of a couple of good players and a young manager, how are Spurs going to launch a strong charge on the season with their chairman allowing this saga to drag on to the final days of the window?

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Fulham manager Martin Jol has stated that he has no problem with wantaway forward Clint Dempsey, and would love to keep him at the club.

The United States international covets a move away from the Craven Cottage outfit, with Liverpool thought to be interested in the skilful forward.

Despite Fulham lodging an official complaint to the FA over Brendan Rodgers’ conduct in regards to the player, Jol has stated that he would have no problems with the player should he return to the fold with the Cottagers.

“Mentally Clint wants to move, he doesn’t want to stay here. His head was turned and that was the problem,” Sky Sports report the Dutch trainer as saying.

“It’s a problem and a situation you don’t want. It’s not something you can talk to a player about every day because he doesn’t want to.

“I don’t know if he’ll remain a Fulham player. I’d love to keep him, but I’m not sure.

“Hopefully if he stays, then in the next couple of weeks he will change his thoughts about us.

“With me there’s no problem and I don’t think there’s a problem within the team over him,” he concluded.

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Dempsey was not part of the Fulham squad that beat Norwich 5-0 on the opening day of the season.

By Gareth McKnight

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England manager Roy Hodgson has explained his decision to call 17-year-old Raheem Sterling into the squad for tonight’s World Cup qualifer against Ukraine.

The decision raised a few eyebrows as it was announced yesterday, with Sterling starting just two Premier League games for Liverpool,

But Hodgson was quick to explain the thinking behind his decision, hoping the call will give the youngster some valuable experience for the future.

The England boss said: “I’ve spoken to Brendan Rodgers and explained the thinking behind him coming in. I’ll also make it clear to Raheem.

“He will be pretty lucky to get close to the field because there were plenty of players who were chosen in front of him.

“I can only hope he takes it in the right way. He mustn’t think he’s become part of the set-up and has made it.

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“He has to try, next time, to make sure he is one of the original 23.”

Sterling has been one of the few bright sparks in Liverpool’s start to the season, impressing in their last two matches against Manchester City and Arsenal.